The identification of variables that can modulate the efficacy of cue exposure using virtual reality (VR) is crucial. This study aimed to explore determinant variables of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism (PR) of environments and alcoholic beverages during a VR cue-exposure session among alcohol use disorder (AUD) outpatients. A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 72 outpatients with AUD from a clinical setting. Alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure and PR of virtual environments and alcoholic drinks were evaluated after a VR session of exposure to alcohol-related contexts and cues. Sociodemographic, psychological and consumption characteristics were examined as possible predicting variables. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the AUD severity and PR of beverages were predictors of cue-elicited alcohol craving. Educational level, PR of beverages and age were predictors of the PR of VR environments. In relation to the PR of VR beverages, cue-elicited alcohol craving and the PR of environments were predictors. A simple mediational model was also performed to analyze the influence of the PR of beverages on the relationship between the AUD severity and alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure: an indirect or mediational effect was found. PR of alcoholic beverages was (1) a key predictor of the PR of VR environments (and vice versa) and the alcohol craving (and vice versa) experienced during VR cue-exposure sessions using ALCO-VR software among AUD patients and (2) a mediator between AUD severity and cue-elicited alcohol craving.

Determining the predictive variables associated with cannabis use and cannabis-related problems can ease the identification of young cannabis consumers who can benefit from prevention interventions. This study aimed: (1) to describe, among university students, the cannabis use and cannabis-use problems, intention to use cannabis and family climate based on the gender and the people the student lives with; (2) to explore whether the family climate and intention to use cannabis are predictors of cannabis use and cannabis-related problems. The sample was composed of 339 Spanish undergraduates (51.9% females) in a 17-to-25 age range (19.67 ± 1.53). The variables were assessed through a battery based on the ESPAD survey, cannabis abuse screening test, cannabis use intention questionnaire and family climate scale. More men than women had used cannabis in the precedent year and showed greater intention to use cannabis, whereas more women than men showed greater self-efficacy in not using cannabis. The family climate did not predict cannabis use and cannabis-related problems. However, subjective norms and self-efficacy were key predictors of cannabis use and cannabis-use problems, respectively. Different factors seemed to predict the use cannabis in the past year versus cannabis-related problems, and these differences may help inform the development and delivery of preventative efforts.

Polydrug use among university students may be a predictor for established patterns of multiple substance use and potentially entail long-term health problems. This study examined the types of polydrug use among Spanish students in health sciences. Undergraduate students (n = 968), aged 18–38 years (M = 21.09 years, SD = 4.10), completed the survey. A percentage of 44.3% of the participants were classified as polydrug users. Type A users (alcohol and cigarettes) made up 17.8% of the participants surveyed, whereas 20.1% were Type B (cannabis with cigarettes and/or alcohol), and a further 5.7% were Type C (cannabis with cigarettes and/or alcohol, plus at least another kind of illegal drug). Type A was the most common type among women, whereas Type C was the most common among men. Type B use was higher among women 18–19 years old than among women 25–29 years old, whereas there were no female Type C users younger than 20 years old. Weekend consumption was higher, than weekday consumption, across all polydrug user types and substances. These results suggest that the prevalence of polydrug use among Spanish students in health sciences was similar to students in other disciplines, with Type B as the most prevalent among healthcare and nonhealthcare students. Taking into account the differences based on gender, age, and time of consumption, a specific approach to the different typologies of polydrug users might be a vital step in the successful development of preventive interventions tailored to the changing reality of psychoactive substance use.

El manejo del trastorno por consumo de alcohol (TCA) resistente al tratamiento presenta desafíos. La terapia de exposición a señales con realidad virtual (TES-RV) es un enfoque complementario al tratamiento estándar (TE). Este ensayo clínico aleatorizado (ECA) evaluó la eficacia de TES-RV con TE, comparado con TE solo, para reducir craving y ansiedad por el alcohol en pacientes con TCA resistente. También buscó determinar niveles de craving y ansiedad durante las sesiones de TES-RV y explorar efectos a largo plazo en la abstinencia. Participaron 85 pacientes con TCA del Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Fueron asignados aleatoriamente a un grupo experimental (GE), con TES-RV más TE, o a un grupo control (GC), solo con TE. El GE completó seis sesiones de TES-RV junto con TE; el GC continuó solo con TE. Se evaluaron craving y ansiedad por el alcohol antes y después del tratamiento en ambos grupos, y durante las sesiones de TES-RV en el GE. Las recaídas se monitorizaron a los 3, 6 y 12 meses post-tratamiento. Los resultados no mostraron efectos significativos del tipo de tratamiento (GE vs. GC) sobre craving ni ansiedad. No obstante, un factor temporal significativo indicó reducciones en craving y ansiedad del pretest al postest, independientemente del tratamiento. Durante las sesiones de TES-RV, los participantes del GE reportaron niveles mínimos de craving y ansiedad al finalizar. No se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las tasas de recaída entre el GE y el GC en ningún seguimiento. El estudio discute implicaciones clínicas, limitaciones y futuras líneas de investigación.